Posted on 02/05/2005 2:34:31 AM PST by Mr. Buzzcut
14 years after Painkiller, Rob is back and so are the monster riffs and dual leads ...
He doesn't "lead" with it, which is what really annoys me about that community.
Metal notes: The new Kamelot is fantastic ... Edguy and HammerFall doing some US dates ... Check out an up and coming power metal band named Sabaton ...
Almost forgot: The new Bruce Dickinson kills ... Not as epic as "Chemical Wedding" but on par with "Accident of Birth" ...
Attended two Judas Priest shows in the past month, they are better than ever. Now that they have Rob Halford back in the lineup, they are clearly a stadium headliner again. Tim "Ripper" Owens was a fantastic vocalist...but the band was just missing something over the past decade. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing must have secured better guitar technicians than the ones they used during the OzzFest tour last year as there is definitely a heavier "crunch" to their sound. Rob's voice is strong and he doesn't shy away from the screams.
The songs from the new album like Judas Rising, Deal With The Devil, and Hellrider are great live. They really get the crowd excited with classics like Hell Bent For Leather, Beyond The Realms of Death, and You've Got Another Thing Comin'. They're doing a slower, acoustic rendition of Diamonds and Rust that can't be missed.
Queensryche has been opening for them on this tour. Geoff Tate must have taken good care of his voice over the years because it is stronger than in the late-1980's. They have a peculiar setlist that ignores classic hits like The Lady Wore Black and darn near everything off the fantastic Operation: Mindcrime album. I'm anxious to see them on their own when they tour to support the upcoming Operation: Mindcrime II album...from which they do one song on this tour. They are a perfect band to have opening a classic Judas Priest show.
~ Blue Jays ~
i heard one song off it,sounds like they went kinda old school,imo,painkiller is there best album
Sweet! Gotta put this on my list.
You've got that right. Lots of metal (and hard rock) guys are on the right side of the issues...
Ted Nugent
James Hetfield
Sammy Hagar
Alice Cooper
All the guys in Slayer
All the guys in Iced Earth
The album Painkiller is a decent collection, but to call it the best Judas Priest work out there is a bit of a stretch. When creating their live setlists, they should also ditch all songs from Turbo, which was their nod towards "glam" metal.
It's certainly not scientific, but the crowd cheered loudest and longest whenever they went a bit more old school. They are truly in their element when heavy and brooding. A few more songs from Sad Wings of Destiny would be sweet and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. They're my all-time favorite band...I hope they continue touring for a good many years.
~ Blue Jays ~
True -- but it's also one of the best balls out metal albums ever! :) Hard to top that one ...
"Sad Wings" is one of my fave albums ever ... So different from what Priest became famous for. Almost like a different band ... "Dreamer" and "Epitaph" are two classic un-metal vocal performances by Rob ... "An old man sitting there ... his head bowed dow-ow-ow-own ... "!
Unfortunately, that's how it is with most of the established (20+ years) bands when they play in America. Most people don't have the new cd (MTV doesn't play it nor does FM radio) but they hear a band like Maiden or Priest is coming so they hope to see a "greatest hits" show.
Frankly, i love it when Maiden plays 6 new songs coz i've heard "The Trooper" live proly 50 times ... :)
It's certainly not scientific, but the crowd cheered loudest and longest whenever they went a bit more old school. They are truly in their element when heavy and brooding.
And, yes, aside from maybe "Reckless" and MAYBE "Locked In", neither of which they play, all "Turbo" tunes can be retired. The boys were never attractive enuff to be glam ... ;)
To those interested, Queensryche is now touring on their own after a successful couple of months on the road with Judas Priest.
~ Blue Jays ~
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